{"API Evangelist"}

Showcasing Your API Integrations With Other Platforms

24 Jul 2014

I saw two tweets from Zapier the other day, where they were highlighting two separate SaaS platforms, who had integrated Zapier into their own platform. Both Gumroad and Hall took the time to highlight the other platforms they are integrated with. I think there are a couple of interesting items in these stories…

Zapier & IFTTT Integration A while back I added reciprocity to this list of API management building blocks, because I was seeing enough API providers, taking it upon themselves to make sure their platform had both Zapier and IFTTT integration. Ensuring your API is working with leading reciprocity providers will become even more critical for API providers, as more non-developers are putting APIs to work managing their daily personal, and professional lives.

Dedicated Integration Page The fact that hall has a dedicated integration page is interesting. I think it is valuable to show the platforms that an API has been officially integrated with. It helps developers, and non-developers understand the potential that exists around a platform and its API. I can also see the benefit of opening up the ability for the API ecosystem to submit their own integrations as well--you never know it might encourage other platforms to integrate, if they know they have an opportunity to be showcased.

I like how Hall does their integration page, and they 15+ integrations, they have a custom option, which is basically their very simple API, allowing you to post messages from your app. Hall doesn’t seem to have a full blown API, allowing you to interact with all aspects of the platform, but I still their approach is interesting.

I think that integration with reciprocity providers like Zapier and IFTTT should be default for all API providers. I also think that API providers should consider highlighting other common platform integrations like with Heroku or Github, depending on the nature of your API. You can consider providing seamless integration between platforms, as well as what I’d consider a platform development kit (PDK)—providing open source, white lable code that allows a developer to reverse engineer your integration with other leading platforms.

As we spend more time in the clouds, I think providing seamless integration with other platforms, providing platform development kits (PDK), and employing reciprocity providers like Zapier and IFTTT will become the norm.